In the 11-year period of 2005 through 2015, canines killed 360 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 64% (232) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Friday, August 21, 2009

From left: Water bowl, dog house, Lori Roach and a pit bull stuck in a tree.

Fox 25 Follow UpUPDATE 08/21/09: On Wednesday, Fox 25 News ran a follow up story about pit bull "rescuer" Dana Dethrow in Shawnee. Dethrow previously told reporters that each of her 15 chained up pit bulls had a 5 gallon bucket that gets rinsed out and refilled everyday. Neighbors, however, told reporters a different story in that her pit bulls are often neglected and left without basics such as food and water. So Fox 25 News went back to Dethrow's property unannounced to learn more.

They found water bowls tipped over with temperatures in the 90s. One dog was swarmed with flies. Another pit bull was seen "up in a tree" with its chain tangled. The news team then readdressed the certificate Dethrow gained at Best Friends Animal Hospital, which she claimed qualified her to run a rescue. Lori Roach, who instructed the class, told reporters, "The training is pretty basic." When asked if it was sufficient to run a rescue such as Dethrow's, she said, "Not at all."

Dethrow responded with, "How is anyone qualified to run a dog shelter?"

08/09/09: Pit Bull "Rescuer" Dana Dethrow
Pottawatomie County, OK - Just outside of Shawnee city boundaries, Dana Dethrow runs what she calls a "pit bull rescue shelter," where she keeps 15 pit bulls chained up 24 hours a day. Dethrow told Fox 25 News, "I do not breed the dogs." But the question of whether or not her 15 pit bulls had been spay or neutered did not come up. Dethrow's neighbors, who would not appear on camera out of fear, feel they are the ones that need to be rescued from this dangerous situation.

Dethrow does not live on the property with the pit bulls. She lives inside of Shawnee. Last week one of her chained pit bulls broke free and attacked a child.

Dethrow Does Not Have Insurance

Reporter: "Are you prepared to pay their hospital bills?"
Dethrow: "I, I will. Yeah. Yes I would pay for their hospital bills."
Reporter: "How?"
Dethrow: "I work --"
Reporter: "You can't afford insurance. I mean, so how can you afford a hospital?"
Dethrow: "Just do it as I can."

Two years ago, a different pit bull "rescued" by Dethrow broke free and attacked as well. On that occasion, the pit bull attacked a woman, her daughter and their small dog. Chris Thomas of the Shawnee Animal Shelter -- whose hands are tied because Dethrow's "rescue" lies outside of Shawnee jurisdiction -- said the pit bull "destroyed the little dog" as the mother was focused on protecting her child. It is unknown if the mother or child incurred injuries during the incident.

Dethrow's Rescue Qualifications

Reporter: "What qualifies you to run a dog shelter?"
Dethrow: "I've had 'em all my life. I took a course out at Best Friends Animal Hospital and got a "kennel assistant certification."(The segment cuts to Kaylan Head, the Director of Training at Full Circle Obedience School in Oklahoma City. Kayland also co-hosts "Speak!" an Oklahoma talk radio program for dog lovers on KTOK, 1000 AM.)
Kaylan: "No shelter operates that way. That is horrible."

But they do in Pottawatomie County and numerous other U.S. counties. Tragically, the Shawnee Animal Shelter can see Dethrow's property from just across the highway, but because it lies outside of city boundaries, their hands are tied. Does any reader think it is a fluke that Dethrow is harboring these dogs "just outside" of city lines? She does not have insurance for the county property or the rescue shelter. As noted in the video, Dethrow is also not breaking any laws.

Trigger | 8/08/2009 3:32 PM | FlagAdditional background on the story here (though I find it hard to believe that Shawnee bans the breeding of pit bulls as the state is ruled by an Anti-BSL law):---http://www.ksbitv.com/news/52697362.html

Dog fighters and fighter breeders have for some time used the "rescue" cover to hide their operations, including fighting breeding and tax cheating.

They also sometimes use the "show dog" or "pulling dog" or "responsible breeder" cover.

This woman needs to be reported to state and federal tax authorities. She is running an unlicensed business and not reporting income.

Anonymous | 8/08/2009 9:02 PM | FlagAnother notch for unlicensed facilities. I really feel sorry for her neighbors - who are so afraid they won't even make a statement. Do we have to wait for the third attack - one that will be fatal? Something is wrong with a system that waits until someone is killed or injured before something is done. Hey, wait! They've already attacked twice!

"Carbon County sheriff's deputies say the lightning hit a large tree in her backyard Friday night and traveled along a metal wire strung between several trees. The medium-sized dog's metal leash was tied to the wire, and the charge killed him when it reached his metal collar."

Is this Best Friends and their breeder enablement "No Kill" agenda at work?

bitbypit | 8/09/2009 10:00 PM | FlagThis appears to be an organization in Shawnee (first link). There are others in the U.S. as well:---http://local.yahoo.com/info-18584820-shawnee-animal-hospital-shawneehttp://www.bestfriendsanimalhospital.com/http://www.bestfriendsahpr.com/http://www.we-love-pets.com/http://www.bestfriendsah.com/

"Chris Thomas, the Administrator of Support Services with the Shawnee Police Department said, "Most of our bites, our attacks are pit bulls, and as you drive around town you see them all over the place and most of them are loose."

http://www.ksbitv.com/news/52697362.html

Felony | 8/10/2009 11:08 AM | FlagThis woman looks kind of mentally retarded. I don't see how she can properly care for herself.

Anonymous | 8/18/2009 7:26 PM | Flagwhat is the sherriff doing? Dogs from this 'kennel' have attacked twice -is there any governing agent that will protect the people? Is that not high priority?

Anonymous | 8/19/2009 3:31 AM | FlagWhy you can't afford a dog:"How much is that doggy in the window? At least $8,000 over his lifetime -- and that's just for basic expenses. Fido costs a lot more if he gets sick, chews up your work boots or ruins the rug...In short, if you can't find at least an extra $800 to $1,000 in your budget every year, don't get a pet."

Gee, and what if you can't afford the 25/50/75/100k + medical bills cost if your "chained rescued" pit bull attacks? ANIMAL HOARDERS cost society and ONLY keep costing society. These hoarders must be stopped. They have NO WAY of paying for vet care much less the medical care of an attacked victim!---http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/why-you-cant-afford-a-dog.aspx

Anonymous | 8/19/2009 10:19 PM | FlagTonight's news followup for a surprise visit found dogs in 90+ degree weather with water containers turned over; flies all over the dogs, one caught in his chain in a tree - how horrifying! When asked of the law enforcement - the reporters were greeted with - there's more complaints from the media than from the neighbors. I hope everyone is appalled by such a seen. Check out Fox 25 okc's coverage.

Felony | 8/21/2009 8:30 PM | FlagSomething funny going on here. I called that hospital and the woman who answered said NO they do not offer courses/certifications. She in turn asked others nearby and they said NO they do not offer courses, and added that to their knowledge, they have never offered courses on anything. So i don't know what to think about this woman in the interview.

I know some pit bull rescue groups are run by kind hearted people that want to help dogs. But many are just hoarders and nut cases that don't actually care about the welfare of animals.

Anonymous | 8/22/2009 6:34 PM | FlagSo where is Best Friends ANIMAL SANCTUARY of Utah? Where is Ledy VanKavage? Where is their pit bull advocacy? They show up to scream about aggressive fighting dogs. They ship Ledy around the country to advocate for pit bull breeders. Here are pit bulls getting abused and killed. Where is Best Friends? Why aren't they protesting? Why aren't they screaming to the media about poor pit bulls? Why isn't Ledy out there saving these dogs?

WHAT HYPOCRITES THEY ARE!!!

Anonymous | 8/23/2009 12:50 PM | FlagThey're not all over this case, because there aren't any dollar signs flashing all over it. Don't you know Best Friends and Van Savage only care about pit bulls that bring them money?

Anonymous | 9/02/2009 10:31 PM | Flaghere we are twiddling our thumbs while dogs get caught in trees, people get attacked, and neighbors are scared to speak up - and it's not a priority on the sherrif's stack of 'things to do' - who is protecting who?

"Stormy weather is forecast to continue in northeast Tennessee where heavy downpours and lighting strikes have occurred. The Johnson City Press reported a dog was killed Wednesday when lightning struck a tree to which it was chained."---http://tinyurl.com/ltj2vh